Oct. 25, 2013
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The logo for Washington's pro football team. / Nick Wass, AP

by Erik Brady, USA TODAY Sports

by Erik Brady, USA TODAY Sports

Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation and NFL will meet in New York on Wednesday to talk about the team nickname of the Washington pro football club.

The meeting had been originally scheduled for Nov. 22, but the league asked to have it earlier. The Oneidas have emerged as a leading voice in a decades-long argument over the name that has ramped up in recent months.

Oneida Nation spokesman Joel Barkin and NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the meeting. McCarthy said the location has not been set. He did not say if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would attend, saying only that "senior NFL executives" would be there. Goodell has defended the team name but has also said the league should listen to its critics.

A spokesman for the Washington team did not immediately return calls from USA TODAY Sports asking if team owner Daniel Snyder would attend.

Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter, whose voice is heard in a series of radio ads opposing the name, said this week that the time has come for change.